Butterflies are the charismatic critters of the bug kingdom, in the same way that bald eagles are for the birds, says local resident Meg Fellowes.
"Everyone sees them and loves them," she said. And according to Fellowes, the pollinating role they play is sadly underrated. A director of the Squamish Environmental Society (SES), Fellowes has been a key player in establishing the new butterfly garden project on the grounds of the Squamish Rotary community garden, tucked away just off Mamquam Road and Highway 99.
"I thought it was really important that we actually have a butterfly garden," said Fellowes of the four-by-15-metre space, "and one of the purposes here is to get a lot of nectaring plants... that actually brings the butterflies right in to our viewing framework and we can see that the more diverse nectaring plants we have, the more kinds of butterflies we have."
The project has been a couple of years in the making.
"A lot of these plant materials were planted about three or four years ago," Fellowes said, gesturing toward the tall wall of plants bordering the community garden. The seemingly disorderly tangle of plants is exactly what the butterfly larvae and grubs require to live on - indigenous plants such as willows, asters, yarrow, lilac, pearly everlasting, stinging nettle, alders and cottonwood trees.
"If you don't have those, you're not going to have butterflies, no matter how many pretty plants you have," Fellowes pointed out.
When creating your own butterfly garden at home, no neat freaks are allowed, Fellowes said with a smile, adding that it's a matter of adjusting our attitude toward native plants.
"The whole thing we do with manicured lawns needs to be re-thought," she said, pointing out that if we are interested in butterflies and bugs, then we need to allow our grass to grow a bit more and provide more diversity of plant life. The use of herbicides and pesticides needs to be eliminated as well, as they exterminate both bad and good insects.
"We need to re-examine what we find aestheticallypleasing - meadows are alive with butterflies and bees; lawns are sterile wastelands."
A collaboration of community groups and organizations, the butterfly garden features two interpretive signs to educate visitors on the diversity of butterflies in the area. The Wild Bird Trust of B.C. and the Vancouver Natural History Society granted permission for SES to use their design for the signage, local contractor John Buchanan donated steel for the podiums and local business Brainstorm Buzz created the signs.
Fellowes praised the Squamish Rotary Club for permission to use the space.
"This was a fabulous opportunity here at the community garden because you've got people already who are interested in gardening and getting their hands in the dirt," she added.
More than 24 species of butterflies can be spotted in the garden, of all varieties of colour and sizes.
"The butterflies are a way of introducing the amazing bug kingdom to people," said Fellowes. "There's about 20,000 insect species in the province of British Columbia and that's probably an underestimate.
"I'm really excited to be finally bringing this project together because one of the things we want to do is raise the profile of nature in the community and our understanding of nature."
